Love Fruit Garden (Yuanli Township Farmers' Association) Introduction
In Europe, tomatoes are known as LOVE APPLE because the mature tomato flowers bloom in pairs, red and connected, resembling a pair of lovers. Therefore, it is called the fruit of love. The greenhouse here primarily cultivates love apples, hence the name "Love Apple Orchard." This romantic name is hoped to create a romantic atmosphere and memories for visitors during the orchard's promotion. The greenhouse design used in Love Apple Orchard was specifically selected from many options. Considering the seasonal changes in Taiwan, conventional greenhouses tend to have temperature accumulation during the summer, which makes fruiting, especially for crops like tomatoes, difficult. Thus, during the selection of the greenhouse structure, a design that facilitates cooling and heat dissipation was sought, eventually leading to the choice of a retractable roof structure. The roof design allows the entire plastic cover to roll up under the central pavilion, leaving only a fine mesh when retracted. This prevents heat from accumulating indoors, maintaining a temperature difference of about two degrees between the inside and outside. Additionally, exhaust fans are installed to quickly control temperature in case of poor heat circulation inside. At the inception of Love Apple Orchard, the aim was to practice greenhouse cultivation with the hope of adhering to organic farming principles. However, it was found that while the greenhouse environment could isolate many pests, it couldn't prevent the occurrence of toxic diseases, leading to significant initial cultivation losses. Fortunately, our advisor, Zheng Nianjun, has invested much effort into this aspect, continuously visiting and learning greenhouse planting techniques to strengthen the cultivation experience at Love Apple Orchard. I still remember that the first year of managing the orchard was particularly challenging. The technology was not mature, and colleagues did not recognize the effort. I also had to endure criticism from representation meetings regarding establishing this loss-making venture, which was truly disheartening. Thankfully, as of today, Love Apple Orchard has been profitable enough to cover the orchard's management and operations, and after years of hard work, we have finally achieved some success. Currently, the marketing of Love Apple Orchard's products not only focuses on tourism and fruit-picking but also collaborates with several organic health stores to supply organic products to specialty shops in Taichung and nearby areas. During the fruit-picking season, no pesticides are used. Furthermore, the romantic name "Love Apple Orchard" and the refreshing fruit-picking experience have already made it one of the most well-known representatives of leisure agriculture in central Taiwan, ideal for group outings and multi-generational family activities. The greenhouse cultivation and fruit-picking experience at Love Apple Orchard have also become an excellent venue for farm experiential outdoor education for many kindergartens and elementary schools. Everyone is welcome to come and experience it firsthand!
